Image processing method, image processing system, image processing device, and computer program

• US 20070292000A1
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ito, Hisao, Katagiri, Taku, Tafuku, Akiyoshi, Tohno, Masatoshi, Baba, Kozo
• Granted Patent: US 7,991,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/162 using pixel segmentation or colour matching

Abstract

There are provided an image processing method, and an image processing system, an image processor, and a computer program in which the fringe position of a detection object, e.g. the width of outline of the face of a driver, can be detected with high precision even when illuminance varies locally in a system employing a on-vehicle camera for imaging the face of the driver. Luminance of pixels arranged in the first direction of an image, e.g. the horizontal direction, is subjected to quadric differential, data based on the results of quadratic differential is integrated in the second direction, e.g. the vertical direction, and the position in the first direction of the detection object in the image is detected based on the integration results.

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. An image processing method using an image processing device which detects a specific detecting object from an image including a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged pixels, comprising:

quadratic-differentiating pixels arranged in a first direction of an image by the image processing device;

accumulating data on the basis of the quadratic-differentiated results in a second direction different from a first direction by the image processing device; and

detecting positions of the detecting object in the first direction in the image on the basis of the accumulated results by the image processing device.

14. An image processing method using an image processing device which detects a specific detecting object from an image which includes a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged pixels, comprising:

quadratic-differentiating a luminance of pixels for each array of pixels arranged in a first direction of the image by the image processing device;

detecting specified points from each array of the pixels in the first direction, based on the quadric-differentiated results by the image processing device;

accumulating the specified points detected in each array in a second direction different from the first direction by the image processing device; and

detecting positions of the detecting object in the first direction in the image on the basis of the accumulated results by the image processing device.

15. An image processing method using an image processing device which detects a specific detecting object from an image which includes a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged pixels, comprising:

quadratic-differentiating a luminance of pixels for each array of pixels arranged in a first direction of an image by the image processing device;

accumulating a quadric-differential value of each array in a second direction different from the first direction by the image processing device; and

detecting positions of the detecting object in the first direction in the image on the basis of the accumulated results by the image processing device.

16. An image processing system, comprising:

an image processing device which detects a specific detecting object from an image which includes a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged pixels; and

an image output device which outputs an image to the image processing device, the image processing device including

a first part which quadric-differentiates pixels arranged in a first direction of the image;

a second part which accumulates data on the basis of the quadratic-differentiated results in a second direction different from the first direction; and

a detecting part which detects positions of the detecting object in the first direction in the image on the basis of the accumulated results.

17. An image processing system, comprising:

an image processing device which detects a specific detecting object from an image which includes a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged pixels; and

an image output device which outputs the image to the image processing device, the image processing device further including

a first part which quadratic-differentiates a luminance of pixels for each array of pixels arranged in a first direction of the image;

a second part which detects specified points from each array of the pixels in the first direction, based on the quadric-differentiated results;

a third part which accumulates the specified points detected in each array in a second direction different from the first direction; and

a fourth part which detects positions of the detecting object in the first direction in the image on the basis of the accumulated results.

18. An image processing system, comprising:

an image processing device which detects a specific detecting object from an image which includes a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged pixels; and

an image output device which outputs the image to the image processing device, the image processing device including

a quadric-differentiating part which quadratic-differentiates a luminance of pixels for each array of pixels arranged in a first direction of the image;

an accumulating part which accumulates a quadric-differential value of each array in a second direction different from the first direction; and

a detecting part which detects positions of the detecting object in the first direction in the image on the basis of the accumulated results.

19. An image processing device which detects a specific detecting object from an image which includes a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged pixels, said image processing device comprising:

a first part which quadric-differentiates pixels arranged in a first direction of an image;

a second part which accumulates data on the basis of quadratic differentiated results in a second direction different from the first direction; and

a detecting part which detects positions of the detecting object in the first direction in the image on the basis of the accumulated results.

20. The image processing device as set forth in claim 19, further comprising:

a third part which generates an image for quadratic differential by reducing an original image before quadratic-differentiating.

21. The image processing device as set forth in claim 20, wherein

an imaging device which generates the image is connected to the image processing device, the detecting object is a face of a person generated by the imaging device,

the first direction is a horizontal direction,

the second direction is a vertical direction, and

the positions detected by the detecting part are positions of an outline of the person in the horizontal direction.

22. An image processing device which detects a specific detecting object from an image which includes a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged pixels, comprising:

a first part which quadratic-differentiates a luminance of pixels for each array of pixels arranged in a first direction of an image;

a second part which detects specified points from each array of the pixels in the first direction, based on the quadric-differentiated results;

a third part which accumulates the specified points detected in each array in a second direction different from the first direction; and

a fourth part which detects positions of the detecting object in the first direction in the image on the basis of the accumulated results.

23. The image processing device as set forth in claim 22, wherein the specified points are minimum points obtained by quadric-differentiating a variation of the luminance of the pixels in the first direction.

24. The image processing device as set forth in claim 23,

further comprising a fifth part which sets reference points in the array of the pixels arranged in the first direction,

wherein the detecting part performs the detection on the basis of both a first position where accumulated values of the specified points become the largest value, and a position where the accumulated values become the values smaller than the largest value by a predetermined rate on the different side of the reference point from the first position.

25. The image processing device as set forth in claim 24, further comprising a sixth part which generates an image for quadratic differential by reducing an original image before quadratic-differentiating.

26. The image processing device as set forth in claim 25, wherein

an imaging device which generates the image is connected to the image processing device,

the detecting object is a face of a person generated by the imaging device,

the first direction is a horizontal direction,

the second direction is a vertical direction, and

the positions detected by the detecting part are positions of an outline of the person in the horizontal direction.

27. An image processing device which detects a specific detecting object from an image which includes a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged pixels, comprising:

a quadric-differentiating part which quadratic-differentiates a luminance of pixels for each array of pixels arranged in a first direction of an image;

an accumulating part which accumulates a quadric-differential value of each array in a second direction different from the first direction; and

a detecting part which detects positions of the detecting object in the first direction in the image on the basis of the accumulated results.

28. The image processing device as set forth in claim 27, wherein the quadric-differentiating part performs a two-dimensional Laplacian filtering processing.

29. The image processing device as set forth in claim 28, further comprising:

a first part which determines reference values of the quadric-differential values on the basis of frequency distribution of the quadric-differential values after carrying out

quadric-differential in the quadric-differentiating part; and

a second part which converts each of the quadric-differential values of the pixels into predetermined values when each of the quadric-differential values of the pixels is not less than the determined reference values;

wherein the accumulating part accumulates the quadric-differential values that have been converted into the predetermined values.

30. The image processing device as set forth in claim 29, further comprising a third part which generates an image for quadratic differential by reducing an original image before quadratic-differentiating.

31. The image processing device as set forth in claim 30, wherein

an imaging device which generates the image is connected to the image processing device,

the detecting object is a face of a person generated by the imaging device,

the first direction is a horizontal direction,

the second direction is a vertical direction, and

the positions detected in the detecting part are positions of an outline of the person in the horizontal direction.

32. A computer readable storage encoded with a computer program for controlling a computer that when executed performs a method of detecting a specific detecting object from image data representing an image which includes a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged pixels, comprising:

quadric-differentiating pixels arranged in a first direction of an image represented by the image data;

accumulating data on the basis of quadric-differentiated results in a second direction different from the first direction; and

detecting positions of the detecting object in the first direction in the image on the basis of accumulated results.